THOUSANDS of football fans will kick off a ticket frenzy tomorrow for a place at the Uefa Cup Final at Hampden.

Tickets costing up to £85 go on sale at noon ahead of the glamour game on May 16.

The final is expected to attract 48,000 fans from around the world and organisers promise the event will be the best the city has hosted.

The two teams which line up at the home of Scottish football are each being allocated 13,200 tickets.

Another 7600 are being set aside for Uefa, national associations such as the SFA, sponsors and broadcasters.

But 14,000 tickets will be up for grabs until midnight on March 16. Fans can apply online for a pair of tickets which are being allocated by a ballot.

A spokesman for the SFA said today: "There is an equal chance for everyone to buy a ticket and every valid application will enter the ballot, regardless of the time of submission within the application period."

They will be sold worldwide exclusively via the website uefa.com - priced at £30, £50, £70 and £85. There will also be an administration charge for UK residents of £7 which includes postage.

Uefa bosses have been holding talks with a number of parties - including Strathclyde Police and the city council - to try to make certain the final is trouble-free.

Rangers are among the 32 teams left in the competition along with English sides Blackburn, Newcastle and Spurs.

Glasgow has staged five previous European football finals since 1960 and organisers are hoping the sixth will be the best yet.

It comes after the 2002 Champions League Final which was hailed a massive success for the city and saw a wonder goal from French superstar Zinedine Zidane win the trophy for Real Madrid.

The SFA spokesman said: "There is a large group working to make sure this is another memorable event for the city.

Payment for the tickets can only be made only by credit card: Eurocard, Mastercard or Visa.

Successful applicants will be notified by March 23 and tickets will be dispatched by express courier from April 23.

Online applications will be checked against police data in an attempt to identify rogue fans who are banned from matches.

Uefa chiefs also insist tickets will not be sold through agencies or brokers. Every ticket will be personalised to try to combat fraud.